Detroiters Rejoice: Vernors Ginger Ale in Manhattan

Michiganders love their Vernors ginger ale, but they can’t get it in New York City. Not through the usual channels, anyway; it isn’t directly distributed here. Yet “Detroit’s Drink” turns up once in a while when retailers or restaurateurs (often Midwestern expats) bring it in on their own. Ex-Detroiter praeburn recently happened upon it at Kitchen/Market, the Mexican-and-beyond gourmet grocer in Chelsea. “Please go,” praeburn urges, “and buy enough to encourage them to keep carrying it–but please leave me a couple of cans.”

So what’s the big deal about Vernors? Fans find it more gingery—and more gently carbonated—than Canada Dry or Schweppes (whose parent company now owns the Vernors brand). To melon, it’s not as gingery as straight ginger beer, but “unique and delicious, with kind of a peppery vanilla dimension. I never drink soda unless there’s Vernors around.”